FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

General

The Doctoral Commencement will be held the morning of Friday, May 15, 2015. All candidates for the Doctor of Management degree will participate in a combined hooding and conferral at this ceremony, followed by a cocktail-style reception with their guests.

Master’s and bachelor’s students may choose their preferred weekend ceremony, space permitting. (We cap attendance at each ceremony to comply with the fire code.) We are planning for 1,200 graduates at each weekend ceremony.

The RSVP process will open in late February 2015. Eligible students will receive an email containing the RSVP link. Please access the commencement system in a timely manner when it opens to avoid having your preferred ceremony fill up.

The Doctoral Commencement (and reception) will last from 9:30 a.m. until approximately noon.

Each weekend ceremony is expected to last two-and-one-half hours. Keep in mind that this time is approximate and may vary. Please plan to remain until the conclusion of the ceremony to avoid disrespecting your fellow graduates and disrupting the ceremony.

Generally, no one is allowed to walk early. While we do consider cases of extreme hardship, exceptions are rare and usually involve unfortunate circumstances. If you feel your situation justifies a hardship exception, please e-mail Commencement Services at commencement@umuc.edu.

Applying for graduation is how you let us know that you expect to finish your degree requirements and want to receive a diploma. We award diplomas three times a year: August, December, and May. These conferral dates are summer, fall, and spring, respectively. (Certain MBA students have a four-term schedule, with degrees awarded in summer, fall, winter, and spring.)

So graduation is simply the act of completing all of your requirements and earning your degree. Remember, you have to apply and pay a fee in order to graduate.

Once you're cleared to graduate, we'll invite you to attend Commencement in May. Commencement is the formal ceremony that enables us to celebrate you and your accomplishments.

We proudly serve more than 90,000 students worldwide, both on-site and online. Commencement is the highlight of the academic year. It's the premier opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to meet and, most importantly, celebrate our graduates' accomplishments. A large-scale annual commencement is currently the best format to include the largest group of students, faculty, and staff.

Name and address of the embassy (if the letter is to be sent to the embassy)

If a letter is to be sent to the embassy directly, a hard copy of the letter, with your signature, will be required. This can be faxed to Graduation Services at 240-684-2008.

Please note that bachelor’s and master’s graduates are allotted 10 guest tickets. Plan accordingly. (There is the potential to claim up to three additional tickets. Further information about claiming additional tickets will be published when the commencement RSVP system opens in late February.)

Eligibility and Apply for Graduation

Graduates who completed their degree requirements in August and December 2014, winter 2015 MBA graduates, as well as candidates for graduation who expect to complete their requirements in spring 2015, will be invited to participate in the 2015 Adelphi Commencement.

Applying for your diploma and applying for graduation are the same thing.

You must apply for your diploma at MyUMUC by the appropriate deadline. Check Graduation To-Do List for a list of deadlines. Meeting the diploma application deadline automatically puts you on the list to be invited to Commencement 2015.

Log in to MyUMUC and select "My Academics > Apply for Graduation." Submit the form and pay the $50 graduation fee.

The $50 application fee covers the administrative process of determining whether you have met all of your degree requirements. You must apply and pay this fee in order to have your degree conferred and receive a diploma. It is not related to commencement.

First you must apply for graduation at MyUMUC by the appropriate deadline.

If you are unsure whether you're eligible, or what the deadlines are, contact the Graduation Certification Team at graduationserv@umuc.edu or 800-888-UMUC (8682), ext. 2299.

Next, you will need to log on to the online commencement registration system to submit your RSVP. We will e-mail you when we open our RSVP system in February. Please ensure your preferred email address is updated in MyUMUC by January 31, 2015.